
In an aerial view, a containment boom blocks oil-contaminated water on Oct. 4 in Huntington Beach, California.
Authorities are working to contain one of the largest oil spills in California's recent history that has devastated wildlife and contaminated several popular beaches.
The big picture: The spill was detected Saturday and was estimated to be about 13 square miles in size. Some 126,000 gallons of crude oil has spilled into the waters, per the Coast Guard. The full scope of the environmental impacts remain unknown.







Go deeper: California oil spill may close beaches for months